Art of manufacturing soles



May 15, 1923.

J. H. RIGIBIY ART OF MANUFACTURING soLEs Filed May 12, 1920 VEN TOP? Pumas May is, was.

JOHN H. RIG-BY, OF SALEHYI, MASSACHUETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHIN- ERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON; NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ART OF'MANUFACTURING SOLES.

Application filed may 12, 1920. Serial No. 380,782.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. JOHN H: RIGBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem,

in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in the Art of Manufacturing Soles, of

which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is

a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures;

This invention relates to an improved sole and a method of manufacturing it and is herein illustrated in connection with a method of making a so-called rubber sole for a turn shoe, this type of sole being usually made wholly or in greater partof rubber or rubberized material and commonly comprising a body portion of rubber or rubberized material and a reinforcing layer or strip of fabric such as canvas.

In the manufacture of turn shoes Whether the soles are of leather or of rubber, it is the common practice to attach the shank stiffener to the sole after the shoe has been turned since otherwise the stiffener would interfere with the turning operation and would be more or less distorted. In the case of leather-soled turn shoes, the shank stiffener is commonly attached by means of cement but with rubber soles such mode of attachment is impracticable for the reason,

among otheis, that it does not produce a bond which is sufiiciently strong.

It is an object of the present invention to produce an improved sole for shoes in which convenient and efiicientmeans are provided for attaching a shank stiffener as well as to provide a suitable method for manufacturing such a sole.

The invention is exemplified in the manufacture of a so-called rubber sole comprising a body portion of rubber or rubberized material'having embedded in and vulcanized to its upper or foot-supporting surface a reinforcing layer of fabric, a suitable por-- is carried out,a strip of paper or other nonvulcanizable materlal.

Referring now to the accompanying drawin s,--

and

Fig. 2 is a perspective on an enlarged scaleand partly in section of a portion of the sole.

' The so comprises a body portion 3 of rubber, rubber compound or rubberized material, which for convenience will be referred upon the rubber blank, placing both blanks in a suitably shaped vulcanizing mold, and then placing'the' mold in a vulcanizing press and subjecting it to heat and pressure. The sole. as thus far described, and the general' method of making it have been in usefor some time and the details of construction of the sole and of procedure of the method form no part of the present invention.

In order to provide means for holding a ig. 1 is a perspective of a completed sole,

shank stifl'ener, the fabric blank, prior to being laid upon the rubber blank, is slit at two places 11, 13, and a strip of non-vulcanizable material 15 such aspaper is drawn through the slits. The fabric blank with the paper strip is then laid on the uncured rubber blank, and the molding and vulcaniz ing operation carried out. In order to ensure that the shaft-stiffener when in place shall. not project unduly above the surface of the finished sole. one of the vul'canizing molds is provided with a projection to form in the upper surface of the sole a depression 17. said depression being of a size slightly greater than that of the shank stiffener and being solocatcd that its side walls meet the ends of the slits 13. In practice the slits are made at the time the fabric blank is died out; the die being so proportioned with respect to the mold that the. relation of the slits 11, 13 to the depression 17, which has been described above, results in the finished sole. 2,, strip of psper 15 has been shown intact as enough ills vulcsnising op-v erosion lied no effect upon it, in reality the flimsy paper which 5 nm now using very nearly diseppeors during the vulcsnizing opereiion does not have io be removed but new lieiess fulfills its function or preveniz- 1esirsp 1 which extends across she do on 1'? from adhering to the rubber sole. if desired, the non-vulsirip l5 be mode of any suitineierisl oslier ilisn paper and may lie soved alter the vulcenizing operation. in the manufacture of a shoe having s eels sis thetwliich lies just been do scribed, lies usoelopersiions including sew inn silo assembled upper 1:0 the rib 7, pulling first end-turning the shoe are one i 011i, and then the shank siiifener is no seried beneath the strep 19 and pushed along onsil is lies in the depression 1'4", It will be understood that ihe shank stiffener is longitudinally curved to corresponckio thecurve or the lessor fools and sols so conform the sole to this cnrvs'su s- Having thus described my invonsion, when if claim as new and desire so secure by Lei iers l sten-*0 of tlll jlllififl isz.

As an srizicle of sienna? lure, a, molded viiicwnized sole for o sum-1 shoe leaving passage leading from the upper surface inibo ills shank portion 'bliereof end sdspted receive and hold in piece s slisnli; siifiener ofilzer tire-shoe in which the sole isxincorporsied has been turnedriglii side out.

E3, on eriicle of menuiscinre, e sole of i or robs-s iced meserisl having me ns in slisnlr siifiener; in plsce, ssid moons conprising on integral portion of line pnrlly separated from ilie rest of the Wis so permit a) shank stillener so be slipped i enssiili said. portion.

3, As article of monu fscture, a solo f'ising loody of rubber or rubberized Ema :inl sud e reinforcing; layer of fabric oedded in and vulcanized ,ie one side e pars of the fabric in the shank poriion of oils sole being free fronnthe body 11 poisionlto provide means for permitting s slienli stiilener to be slipped beneath the free porion of the fabric,

on srsicle of menuiscisure, s molded and vulcsnized solo having or strep integral 7 with extending transversely of the sole k Located in the slisnla portion thereof be iii 'avliicli s shank stiffener may be placed in, ends projeosing' beyoncl ake from; oil silo siirspi ll, srsicle of manufacture, a, sole pessogewny'in aloe slienl: portion leading; from she top surface of the sole down into the body thereof and. emergm o. so top surf-see to provide means inn" e ssifiener in place.

ing materiel.

'ssgeivny, leading roin ili s osses? 6, As on article of manufacture, a. sole having a longitudinally extending depression in the shank'portion thereof to receive s slionk stifiener, and a strap adapted to extend across the stifiener at a locality spaced from the ends thereof and out of cont-act with said ends.

7. As an article of manufacture, a. sole having n longitudinally extending depression in the shank portion thereof to receive a shank sfiiffener, there being a passageway of substantially the width of the depression leading from the floor of the depression into the body of the sole and emerging again to the floor to provide means for holding a shrink stifiener in the depression.

8. As an article of manufacture, a sole comprising a body of vulcanized material and s layer of reinforcing material embedded in the to) thereof, the reinforcing material being slit at two localities in the shank portion of the sole and being "free from the body of the sole between the slits to provide means for holding e shank stiffener in place.

9. As an article of manufacture, a sole comprising a body of vulcanized material and a layer of reinforcing material em bedded in libel-op thereof, the sole having a longitudinally extending depression in its shank portion, the reinforcing material being free from the body of the sole throughout o; portion of the depression to provide,

means "for permiizting a shank stifiener so be slipped into place beneath the reinforc- 'l0. Tiie metiiod o'f mnking soles for shoes which comprises providing 9. sole blank of vulcanizsble material and a solc-reinforcing blank lmving un opening therein, introduc ing through the opening sjsirip of unvulconizaole material so fillet a part of s lls strip lics'between the soleblank snd'tlie reinforcing blank, and then molding and vulcsnizing the sole. r y

11'. The mefil ocl of making solesio r shoes which comprises assembling a sole-blank of vulcanizsblematerial and e sole-reinforcing lolsnk having in its slianlr portion two slits through which extends s strip of'non-vulcsnizsble material, and linen molding and vulcsnizing the assembled sole,

12. The method of making soles for shoes which comprises assembling a sole blank of vnlcanizsble material and a sole-reinforcing fabric blank having in its shank portion iwoslilzs chrougli which ext-ends a strip of paper, end then molding and vulcenizing the assembled sole.

13. As on article of manufacture is sole comprising-s iood of vulcanized material and lsyer of fs ric embedded in the top thereof, said sole having a sewing rib, shore being in she size-ink oorsion of she sole-s goes ppm: soils cs comprising a bod down beneath the fabric and emerging again to the surface to provide means for holding a shank stifiener in place.

14. As an article of manufacture a sole I of vulcanized material and a layer of fa )ric embedded in the top thereof, said sole havin a sewing rib the plane of the top of which is substantially flush with'the upper surface of the middle portion of the sole and separated from said middle portion by a gutter, a portion of the fabric bein free from the body of the sole in the loca ity of the shank to form a strap beneath ,Which a-shank stiffener-may be' slipped.

- 15. As an article of manufacture a sole comprising a body of vulcanized material and a layer of reinforcing fabric embedded in the top thereof, there being a sewing rib near the margin of the sole, the middle portion of the sole having its upper surface substantially in the plane of the'top of the rib and. being separated from the rib by a gutter, there being in the shankportion of the sole a depression and across the depression a strap free from the adjacent portion of the sole and beneath which a shank stiffener may be slipped so as to lie in the depression. v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN H. RIGBY. 

